Event detecting device with low power consumption

ABSTRACT

An event detecting device operates in a driving mode or a parking mode. In the driving mode, the event detecting device performs high quality video recording using an image-capturing circuit. In the parking mode, the event detecting device periodically activates the image-capturing circuit for event detection and starts to perform low quality video recording after detecting a specific event.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a continuation application of U.S. application Ser. No. 15/586,759, filed on May 4, 2017, which is a Reissue of U.S. application Ser. No. 13/589,193, filed on Aug. 20, 2012, which is based on and claims priority to Taiwan Patent Application Serial Number 100139568, filed on Oct. 31, 2011 the full disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention

The present invention is related to an event data recorder, and more particularly, to an event data recorder which reduces power consumption in the parking mode.

2. Description of the Prior Art

An event data recorder or EDR is a device installed in automobiles to record information related to vehicle, such as crashes, accidents or thefts. Police, crash investigators, and others can download the data from the EDR's memory to help them better understand what happened to the vehicle and how the safety systems performed, and in some cases, help establish culpability. An EDR normally provides two operational modes: the driving mode and the parking mode.

FIG. 1 is a functional diagram of a prior art EDR 100. The EDR 100 includes a screen 110, a memory module 120, a timing circuit 130, a control module 140, an image-recording module 150, a power supply module 160, and a transmitting interface 170. The image-recording module 150 is configured to perform video recording function. The screen 110 may display real-time images or previously recorded images. The memory module 120 is configured to store image data or the settings of the EDR 100. The timing circuit 130 is configured to provide reference clock signals for operating the EDR 100. The control module 140 is configured to control the operation of each device in the EDR 100. The transmitting interface 170 may be used for transmitting DATA, CSB, I2C and CLK signals.

In the driving mode, all devices in the EDR 100 are activated and the power supply module 160 may be provided by a car cigarette lighter. In the parking mode, the power supply module 160 may be provided by built-in or installed batteries of the EDR 100 or an automotive battery. Therefore, the operational time of the prior art EDR 100 is limited in the parking mode. The EDR 100 may fail to record events which occur after the automotive battery becomes flat, which also makes it difficult or unable to start the car.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present disclosure provides an event detecting device having a built-in power supply, an image-recording module, a control module and a system timing circuit. The image-recording module includes an image-capturing circuit, a module timing circuit and a processing circuit. The image-capturing circuit performs a first video recording function in a driving mode and performs a second video recording function or a photograph function in a parking mode. The module timing circuit periodically activates the image-capturing circuit in the parking mode for performing the photograph function. The processing circuit detects a specific event according to an image obtained by the image-capturing circuit when performing the photograph function and outputs a wakeup signal when detecting the specific event. The system timing circuit provides a reference clock signal according to which the image-capturing circuit performs the first or the second video recording function. The module timing circuit and the system timing circuit are different circuits. The event detecting device is operated in the driving mode when the event detecting device is not powered by the built-in power supply, and the event detecting device is operated in the parking mode when the event detecting device is powered by the built-in power supply.

The present disclosure also provides an image-recording module including a module timing circuit and an image-capturing circuit. The module timing circuit provides a module clock signal. The image-capturing circuit receives the module clock signal in a parking mode; performs a photograph function based on the module clock signal; and receives a system clock signal external to the image-recording module for performing a second video recording function when a specific event is detected according to images captured using the photograph function. The image-recording module is operated in a driving mode when an event detecting device comprising the image-recording module is powered by an external power supply coupled to the event detecting device, and the image-recording module is operated in the parking mode when the event detecting device is no longer powered by the external power supply.

The present disclosure also provides an event detecting device including a power supply module, an image-recording module, and a control module. The power supply module provides external power from an external power supply coupled to the event detecting device or provides built-in power from a built-in power supply. The image-recording module includes a module timing circuit, an image-capturing circuit and a processing circuit. The module timing circuit provides a module clock signal. The image-capturing circuit when receiving a system clock signal external to the image-recording module, performs a first image-capturing function in a driving mode according to the system clock signal; and when not receiving the system clock signal, performs a second image-capturing function in a parking mode according to the module clock signal. The processing circuit enables the image-capturing circuit for performing a second video recording function in the parking mode when determining that a difference between an image parameter of consecutive photos obtained when the image-capturing circuit performs a photograph function is larger than a threshold value in the parking mode. The control module sends the system clock signal to the image-recording module when the power supply module provides the external power. The event detecting device is operated in the driving mode when the power supply module provides the external power, and the event detecting device is operated in the parking mode when the power supply module provides the built-in power.

These and other objectives of the present invention will no doubt become obvious to those of ordinary skill in the art after reading the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment that is illustrated in the various figures and drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a functional diagram of a prior art event data recorder.

FIG. 2 is a functional diagram of an event data recorder according to the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG. 2 is a functional diagram of an EDR 200 according to the present invention. The EDR 200 includes a screen 210, a memory module 220, a timing circuit 230, a control module 240, an image-recording module 250, a power supply module 260, and a transmitting interface 270. The screen 210 may be a liquid crystal display capable of displaying real-time images or previously recorded images. The memory module 220, which may include a buffer memory, a built-in memory/hard disc, or a module capable of communicating with an external memory/hard disc, is configured to store image data or the settings of the EDR 200. The timing circuit 130 may be a crystal oscillator configured to provide reference clock signals for operating the EDR 200. The control module 240 may be a back-end chip configured to control the operation of each device in the EDR 200. The image-recording module 250 may include one or multiple image-capturing circuits 20, a timing circuit 23, and a processing circuit 24.

The transmitting interface 270 includes a plurality of channels, via which the control module 240 and the image-recording module 250 may communicate with other. The image-recording module 250 may transmit a data signal DATA and a wakeup signal MD to the control module 240 via the transmitting interface 270. The control module 240 may transmit a serial data/address signal I2C (inter-integrated circuit), a chip select bus signal CBS and a clock signal CLK to the image-recording module 250 via the transmitting interface 270.

The EDR 200 is configured to determine its operational mode according to the presence of an external power: the EDR 200 may operate in the driving mode when the power supply module 260 is able to receive an external power; the EDR 200 may operate in the parking mode when the power supply module 260 is unable to receive an external power.

In the driving mode, all devices in the EDR 200 are activated and the power supply module 160 may be provided by a car cigarette lighter. The image-recording module 250 is configured to perform video recording function according to the serial data/address signal I2C, the chip select bus signal CBS and the clock signal CLK received from the control module 240. The control module is configured to display images on the screen 210 according to the data signal DATA, store the data signal DATA in the memory module 220, or simultaneously perform the above two actions.

In the parking mode, all devices in the EDR 200 are first de-activated and the power supply module 160 may be provided by the built-in or installed batteries of the EDR 200, or by an automotive battery. Next, the timing circuit 23 of the image-recording module 250 is configured to periodically activate the image-capturing circuit 20 for detecting environmental changes around the car, based on which the processing circuit 24 is configured to determine whether a specific event has occurred. Upon detecting the specific event, the processing circuit 24 may send the wakeup signal MD for activating the control module 240, which may in turn activate other devices in the EDR 200 for performing video recording function.

In the driving mode according to the embodiment of present invention, the image-capturing circuit 20 may perform high quality video recording function, such as recording 30 HD-quality (1280*720 resolution) frames per second. In the parking mode according to the embodiment of present invention when no specific event is detected, the image-capturing circuit 20 may only perform low quality photograph function periodically, such as taking a VGA-quality (640*480 resolution) photo every 30 seconds. In the parking mode according to the embodiment of present invention when the specific event is detected, the image-capturing circuit 20 may perform low quality video recording, such as recording 15 HD-quality frames per second or 30 VGA-quality frames per second. Compared to the high quality video recording function in the driving mode, the low quality photograph function and the low quality video recording function consume less power, thereby capable of increasing the operational time of the image-capturing circuit 20 in the parking mode.

The specific event may be any environmental change which occurs around the car, such as an approaching pedestrian or vehicle. In the EDR 200 according to the embodiment of the present invention, the processing circuit 24 may be a low power signal processing circuit with event detection function. For example, the processing circuit 24 may compare two consecutive photos taken by the image-capturing circuit 20 in the parking mode. If the difference between an image parameter (such as luminance or chrominance) of the two consecutive photos is larger than a predetermined value, the processing circuit 24 may determine that the specific event has occurred around the car.

In the EDR 200 according to the embodiment of the present invention, the timing circuit 23 may be a low power crystal oscillator capable of providing reference clock signals for operating the image-recording module 250. Compared to the timing circuit 230, the timing circuit 23 only needs to provide low efficiency operation and thus consumes less power since the image-capturing circuit 20 does not require highly accurate timing control when performing low quality photograph function in the parking mode.

In the driving mode, the EDR 200 according to the embodiment of the present invention may also perform timing calibration. For example, the control module 240 may send the clock signal CLK generated by the timing circuit 230 to the image-recording module 250. The timing circuit 23 may thus adjust its output accordingly. Therefore, the timing circuits 23 and 230 may be synchronized when the EDR 200 enters the parking mode next time.

The present invention may provide a low power and multi-mode EDR. Data recorded in the driving mode may be used for investigating any driving incident. Data recorded in the parking mode when detecting a specific event may be used for understanding any incident near the parking location.

Those skilled in the art will readily observe that numerous modifications and alterations of the device and method may be made while retaining the teachings of the invention. Accordingly, the above disclosure should be construed as limited only by the metes and bounds of the appended claims. 

What is claimed is:
 1. An event detecting device, comprising: a built-in power supply; an image-recording module, comprising: an image-capturing circuit performing a first video recording function in a driving mode and performing a second video recording function or a photograph function in a parking mode; a module timing circuit configured to periodically activate the image-capturing circuit in the parking mode for performing the photograph function; and a processing circuit detecting a specific event according to an image obtained by the image-capturing circuit when performing the photograph function and outputting a wakeup signal when detecting the specific event; a control module activating the image-capturing circuit for performing the second video recording function when receiving the wakeup signal; and a system timing circuit configured to provide a reference clock signal according to which the image-capturing circuit performs the first or the second video recording function; wherein the module timing circuit and the system timing circuit are different circuits; and wherein the event detecting device is operated in the driving mode when the event detecting device is not powered by the built-in power supply, and the event detecting device is operated in the parking mode when the event detecting device is powered by the built-in power supply.
 2. The event detecting device of claim 1, further comprising: a memory module for storing a data obtained by the image-capturing circuit when performing the first or the second video recording function.
 3. The event detecting device of claim 1, wherein the module timing circuit consumes less power than the system timing circuit.
 4. The event detecting device of claim 1, wherein the control module is further configured to calibrate the module timing circuit according to the system timing circuit.
 5. The event detecting device of claim 1, wherein the processing circuit consumes less power than the control module.
 6. The event detecting device of claim 1, wherein the image-capturing circuit consumes less power when operating in the parking mode than when operating in the driving mode.
 7. The event detecting device of claim 1, further comprising a transmitting interface for transmitting the wakeup signal.
 8. An image-recording module, comprising: a module timing circuit configured to provide a module clock signal; and an image-capturing circuit receiving the module clock signal in a parking mode; performing a photograph function based on the module clock signal; and receiving a system clock signal external to the image-recording module for performing a second video recording function when a specific event is detected according to images captured using the photograph function; wherein the image-recording module is operated in a driving mode when an event detecting device comprising the image-recording module is powered by an external power supply coupled to the event detecting device, and the image-recording module is operated in the parking mode when the event detecting device is no longer powered by the external power supply.
 9. The image-recording module of claim 8, wherein the image-capturing circuit further performs a first video recording function in the driving mode when receiving the system clock signal or performs the second video recording function in the parking mode; and performs the photograph function in the parking mode when not receiving the system clock signal.
 10. An event detecting device, comprising: a power supply module configured to provide external power from an external power supply coupled to the event detecting device or provide built-in power from a built-in power supply; an image-recording module, comprising: a module timing circuit configured to provide a module clock signal; an image-capturing circuit when receiving a system clock signal external to the image-recording module, performing a first image-capturing function in a driving mode according to the system clock signal; and when not receiving the system clock signal, performing a second image-capturing function in a parking mode according to the module clock signal; and a processing circuit enabling the image-capturing circuit for performing a second video recording function in the parking mode when determining that a difference between an image parameter of consecutive photos obtained when the image-capturing circuit performs a photograph function is larger than a threshold value in the parking mode; and a control module configured to send the system clock signal to the image-recording module when the power supply module provides the external power; wherein the event detecting device is operated in the driving mode when the power supply module provides the external power, and the event detecting device is operated in the parking mode when the power supply module provides the built-in power.
 11. The event detecting device of claim 10, wherein the first image-capturing function is a first video recording function.
 12. The event detecting device of claim 10, wherein the second image-capturing function is the second video recording function or the photograph function. 